Noise level: Low, which lends itself well to taking in the strains of Sinatra and Bobby Darin

LAFAYETTE — "The best is yet to come," Frank Sinatra famously crooned, although this song was first recorded by Tony Bennett two years before Ol' Blue Eyes belted out his better-known interpretation. Either version would be right at home at Apeizza e Vino. At this spot, the soundtrack heavily relies on Great American Songbook standards, and the traditionalist strain also carries through the menu of classically inspired pizza and wine offerings.

Besides gourmet pies that go well beyond simple pepperoni and cheese, this contemporary-styled Italian eatery also dishes out antipasto, pasta and sandwiches. Gluten-free diners don't have to miss out on much here, as diet-appropriate selections include pasta and pizza, as well as cookie bars for dessert.

Arriving for a weeknight dinner, my dining companion and I realized this was a quiet night. However, the familiar banter of the few patrons in attendance indicated we were likely the only guests who weren't repeat customers. We weren't surprised by that observation, as Apeizza possesses the casual ambience of an inviting neighborhood hangout. Yet, some might not realize this comfortable location is the mother store for a franchise concept that recently opened a second outlet in Texas.

A $6 burrata appetizer lent itself to a semantic nitpick. Billed as mozzarella stuffed with ricotta, it departed from the more conventional filling of mozzarella blended with cream. Most would be hard-pressed to tell the difference: I've messed up making my own mozzarella and found the end result closely resembled ricotta. This version, however, wasn't quite as creamy as other preparations of this cheese. Drizzles of honey and garnishes of fresh strawberry and basil somewhat compensated, spurring my dinner partner to remark that this dish could have been equally effective as dessert.

A $10 eggplant parmigiana special worked better in theory than in practice. This comparatively modern, lighter presentation swapped out heavy, melted, low-moisture mozzarella with the creamier, moister Fior di Latte cow's milk variant. Instead of an overcooked red sauce, ripe, diced tomato made for a brighter-than-normal presentation. The weak link was the undercooking of the eggplant — it wasn't raw, but it possessed an unpleasantly chewy texture rather than the silkiness of a vegetable cooked more patiently.

Puttanesca pizza, offered for $16.25, also defied tradition by being presented as a white instead of a red pie. Named for the notorious prostitute's pasta sauce typically made with tomato, this pizza nevertheless retained many of this preparation's more pungent elements, including roasted garlic and chili flakes. Less expected, but not unwelcome, was the addition of raw spinach and mozzarella. A $1.25 addition of anchovies added another layer of authenticity and pleasant saltiness. While my first bite was marked by an overabundance of extra virgin olive oil, the delightful crust proved compelling, striking the right balance between crisp and bread-like consistency.

For dessert, the $4.50 sfogliatelle was enthusiastically recommended by our server, who started the evening on the quiet side but warmed up considerably as the night went on. Her suggestion was spot-on, as this puff pastry, filled with creamy, sweet ricotta, provided an appropriately decadent end to dinner.

The $6 tiramisu, spiked with Kahlua, is as good as you'll find for the money, correctly balancing tangy cheese, coffee and spirits. Custard and cheese conspired to create a mouthfeel comparable to top homemade creations.

Unfortunately, Apeizza doesn't offer the espresso drinks that would have ideally complemented this sweet. I was able to make do with an acceptable $1.75 cup of brewed-to-order drip coffee.

The lyric "the best is yet to come" sticks in my head when I consider the offerings at Apeizza.

Selections such as the caprese and tiramisu, taken in isolation, indicate a kitchen near the top of its game. Yet, some of the other choices, namely the ambitious eggplant, fall short of the standard set by the other dishes. Once the offerings here become more consistent with the most expertly prepared dishes, it'll be safe to say the best is no longer yet to come, it has arrived.

The Boulder alt-country band gives its EPs names such as Death and Resurrection, and its songs bear the mark of hard truths and sin. But the punk energy behind the playing, and the sense that it's all in good fun, make it OK to dance to a song like "Death." Full Story